Reviews by RoyalT:

Appearance  This came out a potent-looking solid black in color with a head that was solid brown (none of that brownish-white or lightly-browned shit) with maybe some light orange tints around the edges.

Smell  The huge, deep bountiful malts were like nothing Ive ever smelled before. They were just so rich and smelled so thick it was hard to believe that this was a beer. It was more like some sort of concentrated malt extract that maybe you put a few spoonfuls into a vat of beer to malt it up. The sugars were just as rich, and you begin to wonder really if you might need some sort of utensil to consume this thing.

Its not often that I wax on about the smell of alcohol, but the booze here was just magnificent! Mostly when I find a good alcohol bouquet its something aged in whisky or bourbon barrels, but this is the smell of beer alcohol at its finest.

Taste  The fruit just took over at the taste. What at the nose was a good, deep, rich pile of sugar is now a veritable harvest of dark fruits. Raisins galore fill your mouth with the first sip, and youd be hard pressed to find a real plum with this much plum flavor. The malt and booze are here as well, and they are just as nice as promised at the nose, but its the explosion of fruit that sets this apart from all the others.

Mouthfeel  This was probably full-bodied when purchased, but skyhands excellent beer-aging skills gave this baby a cellar-thin feel. The alcohol provides a nice, comforting sting.

Drinkability  Honestly, I think pretty high of myself, but you just cant escape a feeling of unworthiness when drinking this ADS. It is in the class of the most elite beers that Ive ever tasted, and Ill remember it always.

Comments  Words can not describe the appreciation I have for skyhand bringing this over to Beths Kiss My Ass Seattle party. This was expertly aged for one year prior to opening, and it came out perfect.

More User Reviews:

Atramentous obsidian black liquid gives birth to a dark khaki head that grows not from the pour but from deep within the microscopic carbonation of this brew. Looks likes something a witch brewed up in her devilish black cauldron. Impressively agglutinative. The head doesnt lace, the froth forms a thick winter coat around the sides of the glass.

Smell like acidic coffee brewed over a smoky autumn fire. Strong notes of chocolate and molasses as well as bourbon permeate the nose.

Mouthfeel is thick and full with bantam carbonation. Greasy, oily, and tar like to boot. Bitter finish lasts forever, really, much longer than any other beer I can think of.

A: Rich dark black body crowned with a creamy head. Head is brownish/beigish in color. Looks like the burnt sugar on top of creme brulee. The head on agitation is amazing. Thick creamy foam.

S: Roasted malt, molasses, toffee, alcohol, a little more roast and more alcohol. Doesnt really elude to how good the beer tastes. Alcohol is overpowering and the smells are standard stout aromas. Dont get me wrong, smells good, just not great.

T: First hit is syrupy sweet, followed by the creaminess of the body and the electricity of the carbonation. Really gives the beer an interesting energy in the mouth. Next the roast and hops pull though big time. Toffe, espresso grit, a hint of vanilla make an appearance before the hops finish it off. The taste profile continues to evolve after the swallow, becoming drier and fruitier. Experience finally ends with the whole mouth coated and wanting more. Alcohol creeps up midway through swallow and stays till the end, warming and well balanced. Hints of fresh oranges as well.

M: Pretty much perfect. Body has a great weight, but is creamy and sticky. Hops and carbonation together give just the right prick to the mouth. Just oh so luscious and rich. Best head mouthfeel/taste Ive had in recent memory.

D: Well, I thought I had room in my belly for this beer but after 1/4 I am already full. Warming me on this freezing night, and will enjoy every drop...but then Im done for the night! Would love to pair with some orange slices and nuts.

I had this one when it first came out but I never reviewed it. Now I'm sitting down to another bottle and figured I'd put down my thoughts. The Batch 7000 pours from the bottle a menacing deep dark black with a big creamy two finger cascading tan head. A black hole. Looks simply magnificent in the glass...no two ways about it. Aromas of rich roasted, burnt malts collide with cocoa, thick sweet molasses and a touch of coffee grounds. Big, bold piney, resinous green hops are there in full force. A seriously big, beautiful aroma off this one.

First sip brings a dense wall of thick, sweet roasted maltiness. Dark fruits, raisins, molasses and cocoa intertwine with a shot of coffee flavor that flows through as one of the last flavors to hit my tongue. The hops kick in with a blast of spicy, piney bitterness on the way down. They seem to have melded into the flavor profile a bit more now, as I recall them being more abrasive when this first came out. Overall, a huge, almost milkshake thick monster of a stout. A damn fine brew once again from Bell's.

Mouthfeel is incredibly thick and chewy...a bit syrupy. I think you could almost cut it with a fork and knife. Almost a bit too thick but all in all a wonderfully decadant brew that's a definte sipper. This one is fairly easy to drink as the 12% is nowhere to be found in the flavor. However, it's still a beer that you're probably gonna want to only have one or two of at the most. A great treat and just another testament to the wonders of Bell's!

Received two bottles of this, each in a seperate trade. I was gonna hold off but once I received the second I figured I would try this one fresher and the other a while down the road.

Pours absolutely pitch black, nothing gets through even at the corners. Expresso color head came on top but withdrew quickly to a thin bubble layer.

Fairly complex aromas with some strong hints of alcohol. Toasted malts and some nice chocolate come in. Loaded with sweet dark ripe fruits, prunes and raisins. Has some subtleties that remind me of their old ale.

Bittersweet chocolate hits immediately with some bitterness that lands early in the flavor. Then the dark fruits work their way in with some molassas sweetness as well. Finish is harsh with a lot of alcohol. Kind of a turnoff with this one. There are a lot of subtleties which I can't fully capture. A good flavor overall but brought down with the current alcohol level.

Mouthfeel is full bodied and heavy on the tongue. Oily slick going down. Drinkability suffers with the from the harshness of the alcohol making this one a sipper and an every-once-in-a-while beer.

A - Pours a thick opaque black with 11.5 fingers of brown head. Head persists for awhile, before fading to a thin layer with a nice collar. Leaves scant lacing down the sides of the tulip glass.

S - Big aromas of chocolate and roasted malt. Some coffee and molasses coming through next. Also a subtle but noticeable presence of dark dried fruits and hints of smoke. This smells fantastic. A lot going on, but seems to work well together. A faint alcohol presence.

T - All of the elements of the smell are also present in the taste. Starts a bit sweet, but is quickly overtaken by a roasty bitterness that persists all the way through the finish. Roasted malts, chocolate, more coffee than in the smell, and some nice dried fruits. A faint acidity. Finishes a bit dry.

12 oz bottle, purchased a year ago (1/2/06) and kept refrigerated. Pours and inky black with a thin but fine brown head that quickly recedes to a collar that laces the glass.

The aroma is chocolate covered cherries, and dark fruits. There's also some grains and a little alcohol.

The flavor is bitter and burnt roast, licorice, chocolate, and a touch of sweet lactose. It has a pretty harsh bitter lingering aftertaste with a touch of sweetness. There is some alcohol in the finish but it is well hidden and not harsh. The mouthfeel is full and creamy with light carbonation.

Overall, it's a good but unbalanced impy stout. I don't remember it being this harshly burnt and bitter when I had it fresh - I would've thought it would've mellowed. It does become a bit more mellow as it warms.

12 oz bottle. Oh may what a wonderful beer. There is a huge roast and alcohol aroma with raisin and plum notes. Very imperial. Pours like old Quaker State with a awesome chocolaty head. Loads of flavor. Plums, licorice, and maybe a slight smokey. Full bodied and slick. Out-friggin-standing. You must get this beer.

O' Brethren.., Get ye women and children to safety. This is one monster of a stout. Review based on two 12 oz bottle samplings that are a few days apart.

Pours out of the bottle an ebony and opaque body. Both bottles produced a large and creamy, light brown head. Garnet streaks are observed when the English pint glass is held to strong light. Head hangs around for several minutes before yielding to some massive, clinging lace.

Aroma is very aromatic and complex. Dark chocolate, creamed coffee, vanilla, stewed prunes, a hint of bourbon, and some roasted chestnut, please the nose.

Mouthfeel is lush, creamy, and full bodied. Low carbonation is appropriate.

Taste is big and bold. Heavy duty, dark roasted malts sweep the palate with coffee, dark chocolate, vanilla, chestnut, and some mysterious red fruity notes. A hint of raisin and some warming alcohol jump in toward the finish. Some smoke char and earthy hops add to a well rounded balance. Full and luscious all the way through.

Deep, dark, and lovely, this big stout defines its own territory in the world of these black monsters. Highly recommended!

Thanks to malty for this one...the guy knows a great beer and I am fortunate enough to be on the receiving end.
Pours a pitch black color w/ two full fingers of cappucino colored head...thick lacing forms and goes nowhere. The majority of the head sticks around for most of the serving.
Crazy aromas going on...deep, dark chocolate covered cherries, caramel, vanilla and some subtle hops at the end.
The taste is more of the dark chocolate up front w/ some floral hops bittering up the rear...a robust coffee takes center stage with a smoked characteristic in it's finish. The alcohol is well hidden...definitely feel it in the head and stomach as it warms you up.
Mouthfeel is quite thick and slightly cloying as I work my way through this one.
This is a brew to be savored...can't see myself having another one at this point. I look forward to putting another bottle down to see what this one does w/ 6 months in my cellar...another fine offering from Bells.

Poured out black, with a dark brown head and decent lacing. Aroma was roasty, but also fairly hoppy yet, even with being over a year old. Taste starts out very nice with chocolate and dark fruit, but then a bitter roastyness comes up followed by even more bitter hops that just seemed a little out of place yet. It was good, but it seemed like those hops we casting a shadow over the wonderfully malty flavors. With age I think the taste would be even better. Full bodied and lighter on the carbonation, but still pretty nice. This was decent, but I think it needs much more time to mellow the alcohol and hoppiness that is, IMO, in the way.

A: After letting this one sit for about 20 minutes, there's a hearty "pfft!" heard upon popping the top off. Wisps of gray "smoke" drift from the mouth of the bottle. Poured into my Samichlaus glass, I see that this beer is almost reluctant to leave the bottle. Very thick. Very dark. Almost inky darkness, save for hints of ruby at the edges. Cappucino-colored froth atop the beer. Some lacing of the glass.

T: Initially, like a crushed hop-encrusted chocolate bar. Massive levels of rich chocolatey goodness innudate the palate. Many of the smells translate into the flavor...fudge, toffee, and the "char" again. Towards the end, the bitterness creeps in. Not overbearing; more like a bitter chocoate flavor. ABV flares up at the end, along with a powdery and long-lasting finish.

M/D: Only knock is that I'd have preferred a larger and chewier mouthfeel. It's big, but it could be bigger. Perfectly carbonated. As it got closer to room temperature, the aromas became more distinct and pronounced. The perfect sipper for the 2-hour "24" season finale.

Pours a dark black with a good size hazelnut colored head which doesn't subside much through the thirty minutes I sipped this one. Most apparent smell is roasted goodness which also comes through in taste, one thing extra in the taste is some sweet yet spicy, like you would expect in a winter warmer. This is one of the great ones which I really enjoyed but will try my best to cellar the other I have for a year.

Nearly black save the purplish highlights at the edges. A ruddy brown head rises up low and slow, then settles out to a fine cap of low thin bubbles with a round sheet of lace rising up the sides of the glass.

Rich and inviting aroma of tangy cherry coupled with dark and velvety roasted malt and molasses.

Pungent flavors of burnt espresso and roasted malt, caramel and molasses, dark chocolate and raisin, plus some black licorice. A little leathery, and a fine hop bitter rides along. Can't believe this is 12%, it's smooth and somewhat hidden except for some warming up the cheeks.

An enjoyable sipper to provide some warmth when the New England landscape outside is blanketed with snow and bathed in sub-freezing temps. Many thanks to BuckeyeNation for sending this rarity my way.

Thick opaque black pour. Unlike Expedition, it generates a nice 1/2 inch head (almost brown in color) that stands up and lasts on a hard pour. Big patches for lace. Interesting aroma, distinct berries combine with an almost smoked spare ribs sensation. Mouthfeel is good and substantial, carbonation light but apparent. LOTS of flavor, flies past coffee to a monstrously burnt malt impression, hints of raisins, dark holiday fruit cake, slow cooked beef roast, "shoo fly" pie, and an early and lurking ashy hop that's too exaggerated. Bitterness is almost overpowering, masks alcohol in some ways. Syrupy finish (this will be emphasized by drinking out of the bottle, like prune juice). Not the yeast signature of many Bell's brews. Big beer, undoubtedly a ton of ingedients and a lot of gravity, its actually a bit much and Expedition Stout has a more agreeable profile in my opinion. Still, there is a lot of aging potential for this one, as it should be for the Batch series.

This beer pours a jet blackcolor with a very dark brown head. the head is thick. It fades slowly, leaving many laces. When held up to the light, nothing can be seen in the murky depths.

This beer has a strong roasted malt aroma. I detect licorice. Also, some dark fruit is present in the aroma. Not as strong coffee aroma as I would have expected, but it is still present. The alcohol is hidden well in the aroma.

This beer tastes strongly of chocolate. It is also very malty. Some plumb flavors are also mixed in. It has a very slight coffee flavor. It has a noticable hop presence also. I can taste the alcohol just a tad more than I like, but all in all, this beer tastes great.

This beer is very full bodied. It leaves a sweet chocolate / alcohol aftertaste. This beer is carbonated well. The alcohol warms the throat as it goes down.

I dont know how well of a session beer this would be. It is very aggressive. Also, the alcohol content is up there. However, I would gladly have another as soon as I was done with this one.

I think this beer is wonderful. I am very happy to have had the chance to try it. Thanks go out to my good friend karst for giving me the oportunity to try it. I'll get you back.

Pours almost like crude oilblack, syrupy and thick. A thin brown head manages to rise to the top, but this is one heavy bodied brew. Smells of vinous fruits, roasted malt and alcohol. Tastes of sweet and roasted malts, caramel, chocolateeven licorice. Warming alcohol presence. Mild hop bitterness gives it a little pop of crispness that lingers in the aftertaste and balances the syrupy sweetness. Smooth going down.

This brew is as complex, dark and full of surprises as a trip into Conrads Africa. Alcohol is noticeable in both the nose and mouth, but it seems to carry the complex flavors up and out of the thick malty body. A fine beer worthy of slow drinking.

A- This beer pours a thick black body with a nice creamy brown head. A few small bubbles stick to the glass but no light or carbonation is visible otherwise.

S- The smell of black roasted malt with some hints of molasses and a slight vinous hint. The finish has a good balance of hop spiciness.

T- This beer has a thick rich dark malt backbone that is pretty smooth and blends together dark but not harsh flavors. The finish has a refreshing crisp hop bitterness that holds its own with these malts. It has almost a mint quality to the hops. The combination of alcohol and hops at the finish can really be tasted when you exhale. The malt has some tarry and graham taste as it warms in the glass.

M- The full mouthfeel has a nice silkiness to its texture and a nice alcohol warmth to balance it.

D- This is a big dark beer but the hops and alcohol start to overpower the malt. This makes it thick yet refreshing at the finish. Very intriguing to drink and it doesn't really fit any style. I would like to see more malt complexity to balance the hops but the hops really steal the show in this beer.

T/M: Aged wonderfully. Massive complex flavor. Very rich malts, lots of molasses and some licorice. Rich chocolate and roasted malts. Great alcohol complexity and aged, rounded out hops. Loads of dark fruity goodness. Body is full as hell with very smooth, velvety carbonation.

Wow!
Pours pitch black with a tan half finger that melts very slowly to sticky, foamy lacing.
Aromas are sort of typical coffee and chocolates but with an extra bit of sweetness.
Taste is incredible. Super rich coffee and dark chocolate that ends with a bitterness more like bittersweet chocolate than citrus hops.
This beer is creamy, smooth, chewy and so desert-like I can't believe it.
An incredible job done on a double American Stout.
This is like candy.

Like their Java Stout, this one comes on hot and heavy with the coffee and chicory notes. I have this one courtesy of hoppymeal.

Thick and rich in the mouth, it is more malty than hoppy. Alcohol is definitely detectable in the nose. The finish is full of coffee. This is actually more balanced than the Java Stout, but stronger and thus a bit less drinkable. I'm glad I split this one with my better half.